Lauren E. Fuess﻿

I am a fifth year graduate student and NSF graduate research fellow in the Mydlarz laboratory. My current research focuses on understanding why certain individuals and species respond better to stress than others. Currently I am addressing this question by studying coral immune response, though I have also addressed this question in other marine invertebrate systems (i.e. sea stars). Additionally, my research also investigates the implications of symbiotic relationships on host immunity in corals. To answer these questions I use a combination of assays which study response on both the genotypic (transcriptomics, pathway analyses) and phenotypic level (biochemical assays). In addition to my research, I also am passionate about mentoring undergraduate students. To date I have worked with seven undergraduate students and have participated in the University of Texas at Arlington's iEngage mentoring program (Summer of 2015). For more information about my research and outreach efforts, visit my webpage listed above.

I have been interested in marine sciences for as long as I can remember (despite growing up in landlocked Atlanta, Georgia). An AP Environmental Science course my senior year of high school got me interested in exploring the impacts of humans on marine systems. During my time at the College of Charleston, where I received a bachelor's degree in marine biology, I worked in a coral ecology research lab and was first exposed to molecular techniques. It was there that I became interested in using molecular methods to understand coral response to stress. After completing my bachelor's degree, I was awarded a Fulbright full grant to travel to Jamaica and conduct marine research in collaboration with the University of the West Indies. My research in Jamaica included work with the National Lionfish Project as well as several coral reef studies, all based at UWI's Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory. Following the completion of my Fulbright, I began my career at the University of Texas at Arlington in August of 2013.